3D printing is a well-known technology used to produce 3D products using successive horizontal layers. Most 3D printers use computer files generated from a computer generated 3D CAD/CAM, animation or dedicated modeling software. Computer programs are typically used to convert these 3D engineering models into a succession of slices that may then be built up by printing one layer at a time.
A data interface between the modeling software and the 3D printing machines may, for instance, be the Stereo Lithography (STL) file format. An STL file stores the shape of a part using triangular facets. Other common formats are the Polygon File Format (PLY) and the Stanford Triangle Format, both of which may be used to store three dimensional data from 3D scanners.
To perform a print, a 3D printer typically reads the design from an STL file, converts it into a preparatory code such as, but not limited to, G-Code, and then uses those instructions to lay down successive layers of liquid, powder, paper or sheet material and so build 3D physical realization of the model as a series of cross-sections. These layers, each of which corresponds to a virtual cross-section calculated from the CAD model, are deposited, joined or automatically fused to create the final shape. The primary advantage of this technique is its ability to create almost any shape or geometric feature.
There are a variety of 3D printing methods including, but not limited to, selective laser sintering (SLS), fused deposition modeling (FDM), direct metal laser sintering (DMLS), selective laser melting (SLM), or stereo-lithography (SLA) or some combination thereof.
The materials that may be 3D printed include materials such as, but not limited to, thermoplastics, thermoplastic powder, resins, photopolymers, Titanium alloys, stainless steel, aluminum, or ceramics, or some combination thereof.
3D printing of an object may take anywhere from 30 minutes to several days, depending on the method used and the size and complexity of the model.